Internal-combustion engine.



E. S. BROWER.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEP'LZB; 1912.

1,146,782., Patented July 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON, u c.

EDWARD S. BROWER, OF RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1915.

Application filed September 28, 1912. Serial No. 722,842.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD S. BROWER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ridgewood,.in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Internal Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to engines of the multi-cylinder type and the 0b ]ect of the invention is to insure that each cylinder in such an engine shall receive its proper supply of fuel. This object I accomplish in a preferred construction by providing a conduit which has independent passages leading directly to the respective cylinders, This conduit preferably extends longitudinally through the head of the engine and has connected to it a suitable source of fuel supply. I Thesource of fuel supply may be connected to one'or to both ends of the supply conduit. To further insure of the proper supply of fuel reaching each cylinder I may provide a propelling means for forcing the fuel through the passages in the conduit direct to the individual cylinders. In addition to its function of supplying the fuel, I preferably utilize the conduit also as a valve for controlling the inlet of fuel to the various cylinders. The conduit isfor this purpose then provided with ports in the various passages therein, which, as the conduit is shifted by suitable mechanism, register with intake ports in the respective cylinders. In its specific construction the conduit is preferably made substantially cylindrical in shape and is 1'0- tatably journaled within a chamber of corresponding shape in the head of the engine, whereby it will, during its rotation control the intakes to the various cylinders.

V ariousother features of the invention will appear as the specification proceeds.

I have, in the drawings accompanying this specification, illustrated the invention in several preferred embodiments, but it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope'of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an internal combustion engine embodying my invention. This view is taken substantially on the line l1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of theengine, taken substantially on ports of the cylinders.

the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a form of the invention wherein the fuel, instead of being supplied at only one end of the conduit is supplied to both ends of the same.

The same reference characters apply to like parts in the different views.

The numerals 1, 2, 3, and 1 designate the respective cylinders of the engine, here four in number. Extending through the head portion of the engine is a chamber 5, which is in communication with the cylinders through intake ports 6, 7, 8 and 9. i

The supply conduit 10, which in this in stance also serves as an inlet valve, is for purposes of rotation, made substantially cy- The valving is accomplished by oscillating or rotating the supply conduit to carry the ports therein into registry with the intake In the present instance a rotaryniotion is imparted to the conduit, and this by means of a gear 20 on the end of the same, with which meshes a suitable driving gear (the latter not being shown).

In Fig. 1, I have shown how the fuel may be supplied to only one end of the conduit and in Fig. 3, I have shown how the fuel may be taken in at both ends of the supply conduit. Thus in the first view there is connected to the supply end 15 of the conduit, by means of a duct 21, a suitable source 22 of fuel supply. It will be clear that as each cylinder draws its fuel supply through a passage entirely independent of the passages through which fuel is taken to the other cylinders, each cylinder will receive its full supply without being in any wise affected by the action of the other cylinders. These fuel passages may be formed simply by providing the conduit with the requisite niunber of internal partitions 2.3, and in the case when the fuel is supplied at one end, if it is found desirable, the passages may be made of diflerent sizes or capacities, (dependent upon the distance between the source of fuel and the particular cylinder which a given passage feeds), for the pur pose of further equalizing the supply to the various cylinders. An even more equal distribution of the fuel is obtained when the fuel is taken in at both ends of the supply conduit, as in Fig. 3. Here by means of a double ended or so-called looped conduit 30, the. fuel is conducted from the source 22, into both ends of the supply conduit. By connecting the source of supply at the central portion of this double ended conduit, it will be seen that the distance in opposite directions from the source to each of the cylinders is made substantially equal, so that each cylinder will in effect be the same distance from the source.

By my invention not only does each cylinder receive its proper supply of fuel independent of the action of any other cylinder,

but any leakage at one cylinder is prevented from having any eflect upon the charges to be taken in by the other cylinders. Thus if there should be a slight leakage (due perhaps to a less close fit) at No. lcylinderthe force of the expanding gases at explosion will be exerted upwardly in a circumferential direction rather than longitudinally of the valve, and as the shortest distance for said escaping gases to travel will be to the port (16 for that particular cylinder which port at the time of firing will then be about diametrically opposite the intake port 6), such gases will enter only the passage which feeds that particular cylinder. Thus any leakage, if it affects any cylinder at all, will affect only the cylinder where such leakage occurs, and so even if the chargefor that one cylinder is affected, the charges for the other cylinders will not be polluted. In practical operation lubricant will be supplied to provide a thin film of oil between the valve and its valve chamber, and this will act as a further deterrent to prevent escaping gases from one cylinder from pass ing on to the next cylinder. If found advisable, packing rings may be provided about the rotary valve in any well-known manner at points between the adjoining cylinders and these will even more positively confine any escaping gases to the particular cylinder where the leakage occurs,

' A feature of my invention consists inthe provision of a propelling device for positively forcing thefuel to' the difi'erent cylinders. This propelling means is here shown in the form of a fan 24: interposed in thezduct 21, facing the mouth of the conduit, which is of sufficient capacity and is rotated at suflicient speed to propel or force the fuel through thepassages to the respective cylinders. This fan may be operated by any suitable means, such means being here indicated by a gear 25 on the outward end of the fan shaft 26, which may be driven by suitable power connection from a rotating part of the engine.

The engine illustrated, which is of the four-cycle type, is provided also with a rotary exhaust valve, shown at 27, in Fig. 2, Which has ports 28, to register with exhaust ports 29 in the various cylinders, (only one exhaust port showing in this figure).

What is claimed, is:

1. In combination, a multi-cylinder engine provided with a casing'communicating with the different cylinders of the engine, a partitioned supply conduit mounted in the said casing andprovided with independent passages leading to the respective cylinders and a source of fuel supply'connected'with the said conduit.

2. In combination, a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine provided with a substantially cylindrical casing communicating with the different cylinders of the engine, a supply conduit in the said casing and provided with longitudinal passages therein, ports in the said passages in ,line with the respective cylinders of the engine, and a source of fuel supply connected with the supply conduit.

3. In combination, a multi-cylinder in ternal combustion engine provided with a substantially cylindrical chamber communicating with the different cylinders'of the engine, asupply conduit in the said chamber and provided with longitudinal passages therein, ports in the said passages in line with the respective cylinders/of the engine, a source of fuel supply, and means connecting the'said source of supply to the opposite ends of the supply conduit.

4; In an internal combustion engine, a plurality of alined engine cylinders, a substantially cylindrical casing extending longitudinally'through the head portions of the cylinders, intake ports between the cylinders and the said casing, a supply conduit rotatably journaled in the casing. aforesaid and provided with longitudinal passages therein, ports in the said passages inlong-itudinal alinement' with the respective cylinders, means for rotating the supply conduit to carry the portstherein into register withthe intake ports of theindividual cylinders, and a source of. fuel supply connected with the supply conduit.

5. In an internal combustion engine, a plurality of alined engine cylinders, a substantially cylindrical chamber extending longitudinally through the head portions of the cylinders, intake ports between the cylinders and the said chamber, asupply conduit rotatably journaled in the chamber aforesaid and. provided with longitudinal passages therein, ports in the said passages in longitudinal alinem'ent with the respective cylinders, means for rotating the supply conduit to carry the ports therein into register with the intake ports of the individual cylinders, a source of fuel supply, and a double-ended conduit connecting said source of supply to the opposite ends of the supply conduit.

6. In an internal combustion engine, a

plurality of alined engine cylinders, a substantially cylindrical casing extending longitudinally through the head portions of the cylinders, intake ports between the cylinders and the said casing, a supply conduit rotatably journaled in the casing aforesaid and provided with partitions dividing the interior of the same into a plurality of longitudinal passages equal in number to the number of cylinders, ports in the said passages in longitudinal alinement with respective cylinders, means for rotating the supply conduit to carry the ports therein into register with the intake ports of the individual cylinders, and a source of fuel supply connected with the supply conduit.

7. In an internal combustion engine, a plurality of alined engine cylinders, a substantially cylindrical inlet and exhaust valve casing extending longitudinally through the heads of the cylinders, intake and exhaust ports in the individual cylinders communicating with the inlet and exhaust valve casing respectively, a ported exhaust valve rotatably journaled within the exhaust valve casing, a ported supply tube rotatably journaled within the inlet valve casing, said supply tube having passages extending to the respective ports therein, and

I gearing for rotating the exhaust valve and the supply tube to bring the ports therein into proper register with the exhaust and intake ports in the cylinders.

8. In an internal combustion engine, a plurality of alined engine cylinders, a substantially cylindrical chamber extending longitudinally through the heads of all the cylinders, intake ports extending from the interior of the individual cylinders to the chamber aforesaid, a supply conduit mounted within the chamber, the said supply conduit having independent passages therein arranged to supply fuel to the respective cylinders, said passages provided with ports in line with the intake ports of said cylinders, a source of fuel supply connected to the supply conduit, and a propelling device for forcing the mixture through the passages in the conduit direct to the respective cylinders.

9. In combination, a multi-cylinder engine provided with a chamber communicating with the different cylinders of the engine, a conduit mounted in the said chamber and provided with independent passages leading to the respective cylinders, a source of fuel supply connected with the conduit, and propelling means for forcing the fuel through the passages in the conduit direct to the respective cylinders.

10. In combination, a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine provided with a substantially cylindrical valve casing in the head portion thereof in communication with the individual cylinders through suitable intake ports, a substantially cylindrical and partitioned valve rotatably journaled in the valve casing and ported to control the intake ports of the respective cylinders, means for rotating the said partitioned valve, a source of fuel supply connected with the rotary partitioned valve and arranged to deliver fuel into said partitioned valve, and means for preventing escaping gases from any one cylinder from polluting the charges to be taken in by the other cylinders.

11. In combination, a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine provided with a divided valve casing in the head portion thereof, a rotatable exhaust valve journaled in one of said casing divisions having a single large chamber with a number of ports registering with each one of said cylinders a rotatable fuel supply valve journaled in the opposite of said casing divisions provided with partitions forming a number of smaller chambers therein, each chamber communicating with one of said cylinders in timed relationship to each other, means to supply fuel to said supply valve, and means to rotate each of said valves.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York this 25th day of September, A. D. 1912.

LOUISA E. SIMsoN, PHILIP S. MGLEAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

